SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING A REAL-TIME LOCATION-BASED SERVICE NETWORK

• US 20090104919A1
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technigraphics, LLC (CACI International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Technigraphics, Inc. (Alabama) (CACI International Incorporated)
• Inventors: SIMMONS, Scott Paul, HEATER, Kevin Abram
• Granted Patent: US 7,957,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A network and method to establish a real-time location based service for client mobile device users. Asynchronous data connections are established between client mobile devices and a data server over wireless networks. Synchronous data connections are established between the client devices and a map server over wireless networks. The data server receives geographic location information from the client devices, indicating a geographic location of each client device, and relays the geographic location information to the client devices in real time via the asynchronous data connections. The map server provides map data to the client devices as requested from the client devices via the synchronous data connections. The geographic location information may be overlaid onto the map data and displayed on any of the client mobile devices to indicate the various locations of the various client devices in real time.

Claims

1. A method to establish a real-time location based service network for mobile device users, said method comprising:

establishing a first asynchronous data connection between a first mobile device and a data server over using a proprietary TCP/IP based protocol over a wireless network;

establishing at least a second asynchronous data connection between at least a second mobile device and said data server using said proprietary TCP/IP based protocol over a wireless network;

establishing a first synchronous data connection between said first mobile device and a map server using a HTTPS protocol over a wireless network; and

establishing at least a second synchronous data connection between at least said second mobile device and said map server using a HTTPS protocol over a wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said data server and said map server are one in the same server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said proprietary TCP/IP based protocol and said HTTPS protocol use encryption techniques for secure communications.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a voice connection between said first mobile device and said second mobile device over a wireless cell phone network without disrupting said first asynchronous data connection or said second asynchronous data connection.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a first wireless data connection between a first global positioning system (GPS) receiver and said first mobile device, wherein said first mobile device is in operational proximity to said first GPS receiver.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a second wireless data connection between a second global positioning system (GPS) receiver and said second mobile device, wherein said second mobile device is in operational proximity to said second GPS receiver.

7. A method to communicate location information of mobile device users over a wireless network in real time, said method comprising:

asynchronously transmitting first position data corresponding to a current geographic location of a first mobile device to a data server via a first asynchronous data connection between said first mobile device and said data server over a wireless network;

asynchronously transmitting at least second position data corresponding to a current geographic location of at least a second mobile device to said data server via at least a second asynchronous data connection between at least said second mobile device and said data server over a wireless network;

synchronously transmitting a first map to said first mobile device via a first synchronous data connection between a map server and said first mobile device over a wireless network in response to a map request from said first mobile device to said map server;

synchronously transmitting at least a second map to at least said second mobile device via at least a second synchronous data connection between said map server and at least said second mobile device over a wireless network in response to a map request from at least said second mobile device to said map server;

asynchronously transmitting at least said second position data from said data server to said first mobile device via said first asynchronous data connection; and

asynchronously transmitting at least said first position data from said data server to at least said second mobile device via at least said second asynchronous data connection.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising said first mobile device processing at least said second position data to accurately overlay indicia corresponding to at least said second position data on said first map, and to display said first map with said overlaid indicia on a display of said first mobile device.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising said second mobile device processing at least said first position data to accurately overlay indicia corresponding to at least said first position data on said second map, and to display said second map with said overlaid indicia on a display of said second mobile device.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said first asynchronous data connection and said second asynchronous data connection use a proprietary TCP/IP based protocol using encryption techniques for secure communications.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said first synchronous data connection and said second synchronous data connection use a HTTPS protocol using encryption techniques for secure communications.

12. A real-time location based service network for mobile device users, said network comprising:

a plurality of mobile devices;

a data server capable of asynchronously relaying at least geographic location information, status information, and text information between said plurality of mobile devices in real time, and wherein each of said plurality of mobile devices is capable of being in asynchronous data communication with said data server over a wireless network to accomplish said relaying; and

a map server capable of synchronously providing a map service to each of said plurality of mobile devices, and wherein each of said plurality of mobile devices is capable of being in synchronous data communication with said map server over a wireless network to accomplish said providing.

13. The network of claim 12 further comprising a plurality of GPS receivers, wherein any one of said GPS receivers corresponds to a single mobile device of said plurality of mobile devices.

14. The network of claim 13 wherein each of said plurality of mobile devices includes a thin client software capable of reading a data stream including geographic location information from said corresponding GPS receiver and transmitting said geographic location information to said data server in real time via said asynchronous data communication.

15. The network of claim 12 wherein each of said plurality of mobile devices includes a thick client software capable of generating a map request and transmitting said map request to said map server via said synchronous data communication and receiving map data from said map server via said synchronous data communication in response to said map request.

16. The network of claim 15 wherein said thick client software is further capable of rendering a map in response to receiving said map data, accurately overlaying indicia corresponding to said geographic location information onto said rendered map, and displaying said rendered map with said overlaid indicia on a display of said mobile devices.

17. The network of claim 12 wherein said plurality of mobile devices include at least one of cell phone type devices, personal digital assistant (PDA) type devices, portable media player type devices, laptop computer type devices, and wireless handheld type devices.

18. A method to communicate status information over a wireless network in real time, said method comprising:

a data server asynchronously polling a first mobile device for a first status information, corresponding to a current status of said first mobile device, via a first asynchronous data connection between said data server and said first mobile device over a wireless network;

said data server asynchronously polling at least a second mobile device for at least a second status information, corresponding to a current status of at least said second mobile device, via at least a second asynchronous data connection between said data server and at least said second mobile device over a wireless network;

said first mobile device transmitting said first status information to said data server via said first asynchronous data connection; and

at least said second mobile device transmitting at least said second status information to said data server via at least said second asynchronous data connection.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

said data server transmitting at least said first status information to at least said second mobile device via at least said second asynchronous data connection; and

said data server transmitting at least said second status information to said first mobile device via said first asynchronous data connection.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

said first mobile device asynchronously polling said data server for a third status information, corresponding to a current status of said data server, via said first asynchronous data connection; and

said data server transmitting said third status information to said first mobile device via said first asynchronous data connection.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

at least said second mobile device asynchronously polling said data server for said third status information via at least said second asynchronous data connection; and

said data server transmitting said third status information to at least said second mobile device via at least said second asynchronous data connection.

22. A method to communicate help information over a wireless network in real time, said method comprising:

a first mobile device asynchronously transmitting a first help message to a data server via a first asynchronous data connection between said first mobile device and said data server over a wireless network; and

said data server receiving said first help message and immediately transmitting said first help message to at least a second mobile device via at least a second asynchronous data connection between said data server and at least said second mobile device in real time over a wireless network.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising at least said second mobile device displaying an indication of said help message on a display of at least said second mobile device such that said displayed indication is clearly associated with said first mobile device on said display.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising at least said second mobile device sounding an audible alert in response to receiving said help message.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

at least said second mobile device transmitting a reply message to said data server in response to said help message via at least said second asynchronous data connection; and

said data server relaying said reply message to said first mobile device via said first asynchronous data connection.